In January 2026, 9% of the homes that closed across the Austin metro went for over list. The median sale was $413,450, flat against a year earlier at -0.4%. Active inventory stood at 10,023 listings, up 8.0% year over year. Homes took a median of 108 days to sell, the longest stretch in this series so far. That made it a buyer's market.
Austin market statistics, January 2026
| Metric | January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $413,450 (-0.4% YoY) |
| Median price per sq ft | $200 (-5.3% YoY) |
| Homes sold | 1,532 (-7.9% YoY) |
| New listings | 2,676 |
| Active inventory | 10,023 (+8.0% YoY) |
| Months of supply | 6.5 |
| Median days on market | 108 |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 96.8% |
| Sold above asking | 9.3% |
| Listings with a price cut | 29.0% |
| 30-year fixed rate (avg) | 6.1% |
108 Days: The Slowest Month in a Decade
Days on market hit 108, the highest reading in this ten-year series, with a median of $413,450. January is always the slowest month, and this was the slowest January of the decade. It is also, mechanically, the least competitive month a buyer will see all year.
What changed since December 2025
The median fell $26,450 from December 2025, a 6.0% move. Time on market lengthened by 1 days, to 108. Active inventory grew by 248 listings, to 10,023. The share of homes selling over asking gave up 1.9 points, to 9.3%.
One month is noise. The reason to read it anyway is that direction shows up in inventory and days on market well before it shows up in price, so the months where those two disagree with the headline number are the interesting ones.
Where this month sits in the cycle
| January 2026 | December 2025 | January 2025 | Since Oct 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $413,450 | $439,900 | $415,000 | range $255,626–$565,000 |
| Median days on market | 108 | 107 | 94 | highest since Oct 2016 |
| Active inventory | 10,023 | 9,775 | 9,285 | range 2,660–14,231 |
| Months of supply | 6.5 | 4 | 5.6 | highest since Oct 2016 |
| Sold above asking | 9% | 11% | 11% | lowest since Oct 2016 |
| 30-year fixed rate | 6.1% | 6.19% | 6.96% | range 2.68%–7.62% |
The right-hand column is the range this series has covered since October 2016. No forecast in it, just where January 2026 falls against every month that came before it.
If you are buying in Austin right now
At 6.5 months of supply this is a buyer's market, and 108 median days on market is the negotiating position. A listing that is ninety days old belongs to a seller whose plan is not working. That is worth more than any clever offer strategy.
The average home sold for 96.8% of asking, so roughly 3.2% under list was the normal outcome, not an insulting one.
The payment math. At $413,450 with 20% down at 6.1%, principal and interest runs about $2,004 a month. Add roughly $689 for property taxes and $276 for insurance and you are near $2,969 a month all in. Texas has no state income tax and this is where the state collects instead, budget the tax line from day one, not as an afterthought.
If you are selling: with 10,023 active listings and 108 median days on market, you are competing against a lot of houses and a patient buyer. Price ahead of the market rather than chasing it down, and consider funding a rate buydown, at these rates it moves a buyer's monthly payment more than an equivalent price cut does.
Neighborhood in focus
Crestview & Brentwood (78756 & 78757). Little Deli, Brentwood Social House, Crestview Station. Known for old-Austin feel, hidden gems. It fits buyers who want a neighborhood that still feels like old Austin.
The metro numbers above are an average of a very unequal city, Crestview & Brentwood does not move in lockstep with Kyle or Leander, and the gap between ZIPs widens in exactly the months the metro looks calm. There is a longer, more honest write-up at /neighborhoods/crestview-brentwood/, including what is wrong with it.
On in Austin, January 2026
| When | What | Why it matters to a listing |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 19 | MLK Day March, UT campus to Huston-Tillotson, east | The march runs from campus east along MLK. Central and east street closures for the morning, and a poor Monday for showings along the route. |
What is coming next
The spring listing wave, which after a 31% inventory drawdown from last June should be tighter than the last two springs.
Common questions
Do I need a buyer's agent in Austin, and who pays for one?
Since the NAR practice changes took effect in August 2024, you sign a written buyer representation agreement, specifying what your agent is paid and by whom, before touring a home. Compensation offers no longer appear in the MLS. Sellers can and frequently still do contribute to the buyer's agent fee; it is negotiated in the purchase contract now rather than advertised in the listing. The fee is negotiable and always was.
I am moving to Austin from California. What actually surprises people?
Four things, in order of how much money they cost. Property taxes, which run roughly 1.8-2.5% and have no Proposition 13-style cap beyond the 10% homestead limit. Homeowners insurance, which is among the highest in the country because of hail. Summer utility bills in an underinsulated house. And foundations: much of the region sits on expansive clay that moves with drought and rain, so watering your foundation is a real practice here and a structural engineer's report is money well spent on any older slab home.
How much do I need to earn to buy a median-priced Austin home?
At $413,450 with 20% down at 6.1%, the all-in monthly payment is roughly $2,969 including estimated taxes and insurance. At a 30% housing-to-income ratio that implies household income around $119,000. Lenders will approve you well above that; whether you should go there is a different question. Property taxes are estimated at 2.0% of value, verify the actual rate for the specific address, because a MUD can push it past 3%.
Part of a retrospective series on the Austin market, one post per month since 2016, compiled from the historical record. This edition covers January 2026; every figure is as reported for that month, and nothing in it looks past it.
Source: Redfin Data Center metro market tracker: single-family, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro, not seasonally adjusted. Mortgage rates are the monthly average of the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey 30-year fixed rate. Payment, tax and insurance figures are estimates for illustration and are not a quote. Median sale price is not a guarantee of value for any specific property.
Written by Mike Vilece, a licensed Texas real estate agent with Compass in Austin. If you want the version of this that applies to your street and your budget, ask me directly.